Signalling device for roadside delivery receptacles



March a, 1960 H. A. WORKMAN 2,927,726

SIGNALLING DEVICE FOR ROADSIDE DELIVERY RECEPTACLES Filed March 6, 1958 IN V EN TOR.

AT TOR N Y United States Patent SIGNALLING DEVICE FOR ROADSIDE DELIVERY RECEPTACLES Harold A. Workman, Greenwood Township, McHenry County, Ill.

Application March 6, 1958, Serial No. 719,582

1 Claim. (Cl. 232-34) My invention is directed to a novel signalling device for roadside delivery receptacles such as mail boxes and the like designed for the reception of mail remote from the residence of the recipient. More specifically, it is directed to a signalling receiver of the type designed for the reception of particular items of delivery such as newspapers and the like, situated remotely from the house of the subscriber, and to the signalling mechanism forming a part thereof.

Newspapers often undertake delivery to their subscribers in rural areas or areas of scattered population by providing the subscriber with a receptacle for the paper which is mounted on a post adjacent the nearest highway or road and into which the newspaper is deposited daily by newspaper carriers delivering from automobiles or delivery trucks. Such receptacles are often some distance from the residence or place of delivery for which the paper is intended.

The receptacles are usually provided at no cost to the subscriber and are mounted near the road by the newspaper delivery men. The receptacles are tailored rather exactly, both as to interior cross section and length, to the size of the newspaper to be deposited therein when the newspaper is folded and rolled in some particular fashion most convenient and manageable for the handling and inserting of the newspapers, The receptacle will, of course, be designed to be as small as possible for purposes of economy consonant with providing for easy and quick insertion of the papers and good protection thereof from damage by rain or snow. In order to protect the papers to the desired extent, the receptacles must enclose fully the folded and rolled paper but obviously in the interests of economy, the tube will be no longer than just enough for such enclosure.

Most subscribers to a morning newspaper like to read the paper with their breakfast or coffee. Since the newspaper receptacles are open toward the road and the houses for which the newspapers are intended lie away from the road, a person cannot see into the container from his home to determine whether the paper has been delivered.

My invention has as a major object the provision of a container for the reception of remotely delivered literature such as newspapers and the like which indicates at a distance whether the literature has in fact been delivered.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a signalling device which may cheaply and readily be incorporated in existing and already placed receptacles of the character above to indicate the delivery of literature into the receptacles at a distance.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a signalling device of the character set forth above which is simple and inexpensive and yet which operates surely and effectively and whose operation will not be aflFected by unfavorable weather conditions such as sleet, ice, etc.

Anotherobject. of my invention is the provision of a signalling device as described above which may be attached to existing and already placed receptacles and not ice impair the protection which the receptacle gives the material.

Still a further object of my invention is the provision of a signalling receptacle or signal for such receptacle which can be read at a substantial distance from the receptacle and through a wide range of angles about the receptacle to indicate the deposit of material therein.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a newspaper delivery tube incorporating an embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the delivery tube of Fig. 1, having a portion of the wall thereof broken away;

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially along the line 3--3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the operating plate of my invention; and a Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing, however, an alternative form of signalling device.

A representative newspaper delivery tube 10 of the type to which my invention may be applied is shown in Figs. land 2. The tube consists of a sleeve 12 formed of a continuous sheet of metal which is formed into a generally rectangular tube having rounded longitudinal edges. Other commonly seen tubes are circular in section. The tube is closed at one end by a sheet metal base 14 crimped in conventional fashion to the end of the sleeve. The adjoining edges of the curved sleeve may be crimped together to make a closed tubular sleeve or they may be spaced apart slightly as illustrated in Fig. 2 at the bottom of the sleeve to define a longitudinal slot 16 for the drainage of water possibly getting into the tube. An L-shaped bracket 18 has one leg 20 thereof secured transversely tothe bottom of the sleeve in approximately the center thereof and spanning slot 16, and the other leg 22 of the bracket extends downwardly from the sleeve in a plane outside the vertical edge thereof to provide means for attaching the delivery tube to a post. The tube may likewise have a small sheet metal member 24 secured transversely across the underside of the sleeve adjacent the open end thereof to secure together the spaced edges of the slot 16 and impart additional strength to the sleeve. The end member 14 serves to secure the sleeve together at the closed end thereof. In this tube is incorporated a signalling device, indicated generally by 26, illustrative of my invention.

The signalling device of my invention includes a shaft or rod 28 which may be, as illustrated, about one-half the length of the tube. The base member 14 of the tube has a hole 30 bored therein through which the rod 28 extends. The outer end 32 of the rod 28 is of reduced diameter and a relatively large, elongated, rectangular metal plate 34, constituting a flag or signal, has a hole 36 therein adjacent one end thereof which fits over the reduced end 32 of rod 28. The end 32 of the rod is peened over on the signal as at 36 to secure the signal 34 against the end of the rod. The hole 30 through which the rod 28 extends is centered in the end 14 of the tube in the side to side direction and may be slightly below center in the vertical direction.

The plate 34 should desirably be coated both for protection from the weather and to achieve maximum visibility thereof. The signal should extend well below the bottom surface of the delivery tube and should be of sufiicient width so that it can be seen from a substantial distance. a 1

I contemplate that the other end of the rod 28 inside the sleeve 12 carry a vertical pusher or operating plate 38, oriented transversely of the sleeve, riding on the bottom of the sleeve and extending closely ,to the sides of the sleeve. Desirably the plate has a pair of parallel slots 40 formed in the center thereof and a third slot 42 extends perpendicularly to the parallel slots and interconnects the centers thereof. A hole 44 is formed in the center of the transverse slot. The slots 40 and 42 and hole 44 define opposite ears 64 having opposite semicircular notches in the facing edges thereof.

The inner end 46 of rod 28 has an annular groove thereabout to define a rod section 48 of reduced diameter and a head 50 at the extremity of the rod is equal to the full diameter thereof. Hole 44 in plate 38 is formed to about the same'diameter as the reduced portion or neck 48 of the rod 28.

In the illustrated embodiment, the plate 38 of my invention likewise carries a second signalling device or flag 52. To provide the flag I contemplate that the sheet of metal of which the flag and plate are formed consist of a rectangle substantially greater in height than the plate itself, the upper portion of the rectangle constituting the plate 38 as may be best seen in Fig. 4. The dimensions of the plate 38 are determined and the metal sheet is notched in toward the center with notches 54 of appreciable width to define a neck 56 and the flag 52 extending downward from the neck and spaced appreciably from the plate 38 by the width of the notches 56. The effective length of the neck is increased by slotting of the plate 38 upwardly as at 60 to extend the edges of the neck 56 into the plate 38. Thereafter, the portion of the sheet which constitutes the flag 52 is twisted about its central vertical axis through 90 so that the flag and plate lie in planes at right angles to each other. The twist is so made as to lie wholly in the neck'56 and in that portion of the neck defined by the vertical slots 60 or that portion thereof upwardly of the bottom edge 62 of the plate. The fiag and neck prior to twisting are shown in the dotted lines of Fig. 4.

Among the requirements of a signal such as I contemplate, is that it be capable of easy installation on already installed newspaper delivery tubes. The installation of my signalling device into a delivery tube will be largely the same whether factory performed or done on a tube already placed at a residence for newspaper delivery. The hole of a size to receive comfortably rod 28 will be drilled approximately centrally in the rear end 14 of the tube. Precise centering is not essential since plate 38 occupies sleeve 12 only loosely. Thereafter, the inner end 46 of the rod 28 is inserted into the hole 30 from the outer side of the delivery tube, signal 34 being already permanently attached to end 32 of the rod. In the meantime plate 38 is inserted into the tube in a horizontal plane with flag 52 leading. 52 passes the L-shaped bracket 18, plate38 is tilted to drop the flag through the slot portion 16 behind bracket 18 or that portion of the slot between bracket 18 and the closed rear end of the tube. Plate 38 is turned to vertical and the inner end 46 of rod 28 forced against the hole 44. Forcing the end of the rod against the hole will spring out the cars 64 defined by the slots and 42 and permit the head at the inner end of rod 28 to pass through hole 44. The cars 64 will spring back into plane about the groove 48 in rod 28 and so secure plate 38 to the inner end of the rod.

The function of my signalling device will be apparent from the foregoing description. When a person goes out to pick up his newspaper from the delivery tube, he will push signal 34 up against the closed rear end 14 of the tube, so moving plate 38 forward in the tube about half way toward the open end thereof. When the next delivery is made, the newspaper will be inserted into the delivery tube and by the insertion of the paper, the plate 38 is pushed backward in the tube and the signal 34 carried out well away from the end of the tube to signal to the subscriber that the newspaper has been delivered. I

The flag 52 which hangs down from the underside of the delivery tube is, as stated, at right angles to the plane of the signal 34. The flag likewise should be coated for good visibility. When a persons point of observation of the newspaper delivery tube is at right angles to the tube, it will be difficult to see signal 34 since only the edge thereof will be in view. In this position, however, the full face of the flag 52 will be visible and its displacement from the position in which it was originally left can be readily detected at a great distance from the point of observation. By providing the two signalling devices at right angles to each other, a good visible signal of newspaper delivery is provided to the subscriber regardless of where his point of observation may be in relation to the delivery tube. Where the point of observation is at right angles to that point on the roadside where the tube is to be installed so as to provide a dead-on view of the rear of the newspaper tube, the tube may be inclined slightly relative to the road to avoid that angularity. Thusfwhen the flag 34 is against the end of the tube it will appear centered against the back plate 14. When, however, the newspaper has been inserted and the flag, therefore, shifted away from the rear of the tube, there will be an apparent shift of the flag relative to the center of the back plate which would indicate positively the presence of the newspaper therein.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that my device is exceedingly simple and yet exceedingly effective. Its ease of installation on the rod will be readily appreciated. It will be further noted that the protection which a newspaper tube provides the delivered paper in the event of bad weather is not impaired in any way by holes bored through upper surfaces of the tube. It will also be noted that I employ no hinge joints and no exposed connections or movements 'of a type whose movement could be impaired by ice or snow. The sliding movement of the rod 28 in hole 30 is free; it enjoys a substantial degree of protection; and the movement of the rod will necessarily be forced as the newspaper is inserted into the tube.

It will be evident that the above is an embodiment of my invention and is not to be regarded as limitative thereon. Thus, the flag 52 may be omitted and the plate 38 be a simple rectangle. In that event, it may be desired to change the nature of the signal 34 so as to provide visible dimension from all points of view. Thus, in Fig. 5 the outer end 32 of rod 28 is shown as being threaded as at 66 and a relatively large diameter dowel 68 secured thereto, the dowel again being of sufficient length to extend well below the bottom of the delivery tube. The dowel likewise should be coated for good visibility. Instead of a dowel, a tube section may be used.

In the illustrated embodiment I have described rod 28 as being about half the length of the tube 10. The rod, of course, need not be so limited. It must be at least long enough to be moved to a degree noticeable at a ditsance, for instance, one eighth of the length of the tube. It should not be longer than the tube to permit the pusher plate to fall out the front end thereof. The flag 52 and bracket 18, together, impose a limitation on the length of the rod in the illustrated embodiment. 7 Likewise I have described the connection of the flag 34 to the rod 28 as a permanent connection to be made at the time of manufacture. It may be desired to make the connection of these two members in the same fashion as the rod 28 is connected to the plate 38 in the interests of more economical use of shipping space, the connection between the rod and rear flag 34 to be made at the time of attachment of the signalling mechanism to the newspaper tube.

Orther alternatives as to structure and design will suggest themselves and I, therefore, desire that my invention be regarded as being limited only as set forth in the following claim.

5 I claim: A newspaper delivery receptacle comprising a sleeve and a rear wall at one end of said sleeve, said sleeve being proportioned as to length to contain a newspaper,

said sleeve having a longitudinal slot therein on the underside thereof adjacent the rear wall and said rear wall having a bore therein, a rod at least one eighth as long and no longer than said receptacle, slidably contained in said bore, a plate secured to that end of said rod in said receptacle transversely of said receptacle and slidable longitudinally within said receptacle, the face of said plate being proportioned to span substantially the interior of said sleeve so as to intercept necessarily the end of a newspaper inserted into said receptacle, said plate including an integral signalling device of substantial area depending therefrom and through said slot to extend downwardly of said receptacle,ahaving a neck connecting said device to said'plate upwardly of the bottom edge of said plate, said neck having a twist therein maintaining References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 889,727 Siegfried June 2, 1908 2,326,903 Tinnerman Aug. 17, 1943 2,639,856 Thomas May 26, 1953 Marcus May 24, 1955 

